1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a grab bar for bathing vessels such as bathtubs, spas, whirlpool tubs, swimming pools and the like.
2. Background of the Related Art
Tub grab bars have been used in association with whirlpool tubs, spas and swimming pools to assist bathers in entering and leaving the bathing vessel. Numerous shapes and embodiments have been used, for example those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,461 showing a grab bar on the far side wall of a bathtub having a sideways H shape. Another common grab bar for bathtubs is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,294. The bar extends from the floor upwards parallel to the apron of the tub and loops downwards where it contacts the tub's deck.
Various other embodiments for removable grab bars have been described for assisting the elderly and infirm to enter and leave bathing vessels. Most of these have a bar which either lies perpendicular to the plane of the tub's deck as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,294 or parallel to the plane of the deck.
The prior grab bar embodiments are useful for assisting the bather to enter or leave the bathtub at one stage, i.e. when traversing the apron and deck, or to hold onto the bathtub while in a standing position, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,461. None of the related art, however, shows a grab bar which assists the bather not only in traversing the surface of the deck of the tub, but also in assisting to lower and lift the bather from a standing to a sitting position. Additionally, none of the related art provides such a grab bar in an aesthetically pleasing, safe and unobtrusive configuration.
Accordingly, it is a feature of the present invention to provide a grab bar which will assist the bather in entering and leaving a bathing vessel such as a bathtub, whirlpool tub, spa or swimming pool during the entire range of movement from a standing to a sitting or lying position, and in raising the bather from the lying or sitting position, and in traversing and leaving the bathing vessel.